Icebreaker Founder Jeremy Moon is handing over the CEO title to Rob Fyfe, who has served as executive chairman of the New Zealand apparel company’s board for nine months.


 

Moon and Fyfe have been working alongside one another to grow the brand into a world-class omni-channel business. In the new corporate structure – set to take effect June 2 – Fyfe will succeed Moon as CEO and Moon will take on the position of executive chairman & creative director. The move is designed to capitalize on Fyfe’s extensive experience at the helm of a global business and Moon’s visionary product and creative expertise.
 

“I am really delighted we have secured Rob Fyfe as the new CEO of Icebreaker,” said Moon. “His proven strengths as a game-changing CEO will align perfectly with the global goals we’ve set forth as we move toward record growth in future years in an increasingly competitive landscape.


 

 





Icebreaker Founder Jeremy Moon, left, and CEO-in-waiting Rob Fyfe, right, have been working on the company's omnichannel strategy for nine months. 
“It was a big decision for me to hand over our business to another CEO, but I’ve seen Rob’s passion for what we are building at Icebreaker and I really admire his skills, especially with people,” Moon continued.  “In the end, it was easy for me to put my total trust in Rob.”
 

Fyfe, who has been on Icebreaker's board since 2012, was most recently the CEO of Air New Zealand, where he was credited with driving a historic turnaround in the airline's strategy and culture and maintaining profitability during economic downturns. He said he is excited and honored for the opportunity to lead a company that has played a leading role in establishing merino wool as a viable outdoor performance fabric.
 

Over the past few years, Icebreaker has been evolving to become a multi-channel integrated business with 19 company-branded retail stores, online stores, more than 4,000 wholesale customers and over 400 employees worldwide. The company claims its sales have tripled in the last six years and are projected to exceed $200 million in 2014, with 80 percent coming from Europe and North America. Fyfe has been charged with doubling sales within the next five years through global expansion across all channels.